Russia downbeat on Black Sea grain deal as Kyiv tries to unblock exports

By Luiza Ilie and Pavel Polityuk BUCHAREST/KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s prospects of unblocking grain shipments to eastern Europe improved on Friday as Romania opted against a unilateral ban on food imports, but there was no progress on extending a deal on Black Sea exports. Russia’s foreign minister made clear Moscow considered its conditions had not …

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Irish government staff advised to remove TikTok from work devices

DUBLIN (Reuters) – The state body responsible for advising the Irish government on cyber security recommended on Friday that staff at government departments and state agencies not use Chinese-owned video app TikTok on official devices. A number of Western countries including Britain, the U.S. and other European Union member states have barred TikTok over security …

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Turkey’s Erdogan says interest rates will fall as long as he is in power

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that interest rates will fall as long as he is in power, and that inflation will decline with them, repeating his unorthodox views. Erdogan was speaking in Istanbul weeks before a presidential election on May 14. Some anticipate a shift to more orthodox policies after …

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US Homeland security chief creating artificial intelligence task force

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday that the agency would create a task force to figure out how to use artificial intelligence to do everything from protecting critical infrastructure to screening cargo to ferret out products made with slave labor. While artificial intelligence isn’t new, the sudden popularity of OpenAI’s …

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UK lawmaker Alex Chalk replaces Raab as justice minister

LONDON (Reuters) -British lawmaker Alex Chalk was named justice minister following Dominic Raab’s resignation earlier on Friday, the government said. Raab, who held the posts of deputy prime minister and justice minister, resigned following a report into claims he bullied colleagues. Chalk, 46, previously served in the Ministry of Defence as Minister for Defence Procurement …

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Inside an Arizona nursery caring for drug-dependent babies

By Liliana Salgado PHOENIX, Arizona (Reuters) – A nursery in Phoenix, Arizona, is treating some of the most vulnerable victims of the long-running U.S. opioid crisis: newborn babies. The facility treats babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition similar to withdrawal that develops when babies essentially become addicted to drugs their mothers use during …

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Chad recalls envoy to Cameroon as dispute over Exxon’s asset sale escalates

N’DJANEMA (Reuters) – Chad has recalled its ambassador to neighbouring Cameroon in the latest escalation of a dispute over the sale by Exxon Mobil of its oil assets in both countries to Savannah Energy. Chad said in a statement late on Thursday that the president of the landlocked Central African state decided to recall its …

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